Assault

The terms "assault and battery" are often used together, although traditionally they represent different and distinct crimes. Battery is the unlawful application of force to the person of another. Criminal assault may be either an attempt to commit battery or intentionally placing another under fear of battery. Simple assault is considered a misdemeanour, but aggravated assault (with intent to kill, rob, rape), possibly with a deadly weapon, may be considered a felony. Weapons may include firearms, corrosive materials, poisons, and cutting, piercing or strangulation instruments, and body parts, such as teeth. Pushing someone from a high place is also an assault.

Neglecting national variations in the basis of statistical estimates, figures from Interpol indicate that in 1990 there were approximately 1,815,000 cases of serious assault reported from 91 countries worldwide, namely 60.0 per 100,000 population; some 1,614,000 (namely 64%) were claimed to have been resolved.